Enrollment
120
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mill Spring, NC
Sunny View Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sunny View Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370372001513
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunny View Elementary School earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Mill Spring · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.9:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 97.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunny View Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunny View Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mill Spring, NC.
School address
District: Polk County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370372001513 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunny View Elementary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunny View Elementary School
Sunny View Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Mill Spring, North Carolina, enrolling 120 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Sunny View Elementary School is leaner than roughly 92% of North Carolina schools and 31% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 97.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of North Carolina schools, with 120 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 83 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #11.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 120 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Polk County Schools spends $15,096 per pupil, 26% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Mill Spring's public schools, it stands alongside Polk Central Elementary School (379 students): Sunny View Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 12.6:1).
Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students) and Polk County Middle School (454 students) alongside Sunny View Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sunny View Elementary School compares
Sunny View Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.8% | ▲ 48% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 120 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
120
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 8% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,096
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 120 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 95.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 95.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.2, Sunny View Elementary School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County Schools, which includes Sunny View Elementary School.
$15,096
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 50.5%
Federal 19.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Sunny View Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Polk Central Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tryon Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Saluda Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunny View Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 142
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar other schools in Mill Spring
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~120 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunny View Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sunny View Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Sunny View Elementary School
How many students attend Sunny View Elementary School?
Sunny View Elementary School has 120 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mill Spring, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunny View Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunny View Elementary School is 10.9:1, which is 31% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunny View Elementary School?
97.8% of students at Sunny View Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunny View Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sunny View Elementary School is White at 95.8% of enrollment, in Mill Spring, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunny View Elementary School?
Sunny View Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sunny View Elementary School rank among public schools in Mill Spring?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunny View Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mill Spring, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mill Spring on the city page.
Is Sunny View Elementary School a good school?
Sunny View Elementary School earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Polk County Schools?
Besides Sunny View Elementary School, Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students), Polk County Middle School (454 students), and Polk Central Elementary School (379 students). See the Polk County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.